Grain Valley see string of home burglaries

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. – The Grain Valley police chief is asking residents to lock their doors following a round of recent home break-ins. Chief Aaron Ambrose is calling these “crimes of opportunity” because the suspects are using unlocked doors and grabbing things people leave laying around.

Amy Hayes has lived in Grain Valley for 15 years. The mom says the two break-ins in the south side of Grain Valley last week were part of Wednesday morning’s coffee discussion.

“Mostly there’s just been chit-chat amongst the moms and what we’ve been seeing on Facebook,” she said.

Hayes says she’s not scared. She’s disappointed.

“I’m not living in a state of terror or being overly concerned, I’m more disappointed than anything that it’s happening in our community,” she said.

A community of streets lined with family homes, cars, windows: recent targets, according to Chief Ambrose.

Ambrose said the reminders are important, especially on the first day back to school.

“People are focusing on getting their kids cleaned up, getting them to bed, maybe not thinking about checking those doors,” he said.

It’s that habitual checking of your doors and windows the chief says is critical in keeping your family and home safe.

“You just try to think about those things at night,” he said. “You just do a mental check and then at night, it becomes a habit.”

A habit Hayes has put into practice and hopes others will as well.

“I think as long as we’re responsible property owners and responsible parents, I think we’re going to ward off a lot of this,” she said.

The police chief says Grain Valley saw a string of car break ins a few months ago. The same trend was unlocked doors. He does not believe this is a ring of advanced criminals, but does call the burglars “brazen.”

Grain Valley police are looking for information. If you know anything about the recent break-ins, call them at 816.847.6250.